Smith: The Elephant in the Room

Summer is often a quiet time, but this summer has been anything but quiet in Canton. So let’s talk about the elephant in the room — the Karen Read murder trial and related fallout.

While this column is not about the murder trial per se, the aftermath of the charges filed against Karen Read have rocked the town of Canton with rumors and conspiracy theories accusing many people, including members of the Canton Police, the State Police, the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office, and the Canton Select Board. There have certainly been many discussions on social media and in whispered conversations across town.

The one thing that I know for sure is that in the United States, everyone is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Karen Read is innocent until proven guilty, as is anyone else who may be accused. That is how the system works. I continue to have faith in the system, even as strained as it is at the moment. I am a lawyer after all.

Anyone who was not there does not know what exactly happened that night. We have seen some of the evidence through court filings but we have not seen everything. There are certainly questions raised by what has been in the court filings, and many reasonable people have concerns about the evidence they have seen. In my opinion, there are some gaps in the evidence. And while we all have our opinions, most of us do not know the whole truth.

Based on the information I’ve seen so far in court filings, it is clear to me that the Canton Police Department, whose chief reports directly to the Select Board, at minimum had a sloppy response to the crime scene such as not securing the scene, not securing the suspect’s car, and improper handling of evidence (i.e., using red plastic cups to collect blood samples). Not only should this concern every resident, but it also created the situation we have right now. The handling of the investigation is what raised suspicions and caused some to accuse the witnesses.

While some people have decried the involvement of those from outside of Canton and in particular blame a certain sensational blogger and his followers, our problem is not this blogger, regardless of how one may feel about his tactics. Our problem is the lack of leadership from the Select Board, our elected town leaders, and the void created by this lack of leadership, which others have stepped in to fill.

Certainly, there is an ongoing criminal trial which may limit the Select Board’s ability to comment. However, by the end of April 2023 it was clear that there was a divide developing among the residents of Canton and that many residents wanted answers. And yet since the end of April 2023, the Select Board has continued to remain silent to the questions asked by residents.

Instead, we have board members swearing at constituents who dare to speak at public meetings and swearing at members of the public in a parking lot. While one Select Board member offered an apology in the Canton Citizen, the other member has not issued any apology for his behavior. The remaining Select Board members have chosen, so far at least, to publicly stay quiet about this behavior. It has been astounding to watch.

In addition, as evidenced by the campaign finance reports for the 2023 Select Board election (available on the Canton Town Clerk’s website), some members of the Select Board donated to the campaign of the challengers but not to the incumbent, thereby actively working against the re-election of, in my opinion, one of the most qualified and competent Select Board members Canton has ever had, in favor of at least one candidate who had absolutely no experience in town government, served on no town committees, had an inconsistent voting record, no relevant experience and who, in my opinion, was patently unqualified to be on the Select Board. But elections have consequences so here we are. This is apparently the outcome that the other Select Board members wanted.

To be clear, this column is not about the current court case nor is it about the outcome of a duly held election. While I, for one, cannot wait for the entire truth to come out, regardless of what that is, and for justice to be served, the end of this criminal case will not put to rest the concerns that have been raised by many residents, about town leadership as well as about our police department. A true leader puts the interests of the organization, in this case the town, ahead of their own personal interests. I have yet to see this happen in Canton.

A wise woman once shared a quote with me from the movie The American President. Speaking to the president one of the characters says, “People want leadership, Mr. President, and in the absence of leadership they’ll listen to anyone who steps up to the microphone.” And that is exactly what we are dealing with in Canton — an absence of leadership. It is that absence of leadership in the aftermath of the tragedy that night in January 2022 that has created the situation going on right now in Canton as others have stepped up to the microphone.

Canton, and all of its random citizens, deserve better.

Christine Smith is a mother of three, an attorney and longtime Canton resident. The views expressed in her column are solely her own.

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Posted by Christine Smith on Sep 1 2023. Filed under Featured Content, Opinion. Both comments and pings are currently closed.